Devotionals

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I Corinthians 13:2-3
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Many times through our life we hear what love is, love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast. It is not proud, not rude or self seeking, but we do not take the time to apply love in our daily walk and talk. In today’s world we often see love as a feeling, something that we get excited about, a new car, a new house and a new partner. What happens when we base love on feelings? Often in marriages when we no longer get the goose bumps or the weak knees, we begin to wonder if we still love that person? The rose colored glasses that we once looked at them through are replaced by magnifying lenses. Love can and will provide a multitude of feelings BUT it is not based only on what we feel.

Growing up I can remember my Grandma always telling me, “If you don’t have something nice to say, then don’t say anything.” Something I would try to remember and carry with me through life. Later in my life that saying was replaced with another, Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me”. Can you see anything wrong with replacing the first statement with the second? Who ever said words can never hurt you? Has anyone ever hurt you by something they have said to you? I know I have been hurt and hurt others by words. How much better would I have been if I would have just followed the first statement? We get mad at others for things they have said and done because we “feel” like it, forgetting that we too say and do things that have hurt and angered another. What a humble attitude we develop when we DECIDE to forgive another or another DECIDES to forgive us. I have learned that love is much more like a decision than a feeling. I decide to accept Christ’s love, I decide to forgive another, and I decide to accept a marriage proposal. We can not base love on feelings or conditions, rights or wrongs, strengths or weakness, we can only base love on God’s Word.

God loves at ALL TIMES, He forgives us ALWAYS.

We have all made the mistake of loving on conditions. We do not intend this but often fall into this trap. It is easy to love when things are going smooth and easy to get excited about your life and where you are going. We tend to treat others more respectful and use kinder words when our own life is sailing along. What happens when we run into a storm? I can only speak for my own past mistakes and if I can not be an example to others, I pray that at least I can serve as a warning of consequences. I became impatient and stressed, giving rejection instead if acceptance, judgment instead of mercy. I began to give to others as I “FELT” they deserved and yet I expected God to love me and help me out of the valley I was in. My mind focused on what others could do to help me, instead of how I could help another. The magnifying glass came out and everyone was placed under it, making it easy to find fault with everyone. If I could tear down another by my words or actions, then I “FELT” as is I was being built up. Have you ever spoken to a total stranger unkindly just because you were having a bad day? Or maybe not let someone out into traffic because you were late for work? I know I have. I am so thankful that God brings out the worst in me so I can see it and correct it and learn from it! He gives us strength to over come our weakness. I have learned patience and love is in me and I am learning one day at a time to adjust and adapt to others and my circumstances. Gifted people are NOT superior to us. They are not loved more by God than us; however the world may treat them more like valuable China while we are treated like Tupperware. We need to treat everyone like they are very valuable, because we are! Love covers a multi-tude if sins, not just some of them, love has NO CONDITIONS. As a believer, our lives no longer belong to ourselves but to Christ. This means we don’t get to do what we want to anymore. We must stop trying to get God to do what we want and start getting us to do what God wants.

You see, we do not have trouble giving people what we “FEEL” they deserve BUT we do have trouble giving them what we know they deserve. MERCY!

I challenge you this New Year to make your Resolution to DECIDE to LOVE AS CHRIST and not just by your feelings. Love is 30 % Love and 70% Forgiveness.
Accept that Christ loves you and learn to love yourself. Loving yourself does not make you self centered, it teaches you to separate your “WHO” from your “DO”. We can still do wrong and love ourselves despite our bad decisions. What we do does not determine who we are or who we can become through Christ! Treat every word you speak as fragile and every person you speak to as valuable. May you find true unconditional love within yourselves and may you offer it to everyone in your life!

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